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Baby Northport's Birth Story

northport6northport6 member
edited December 2013 in December 2013 Moms
Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies. How I miss thee, let me count the ways.

The short version is that Bessie Frances was born at 8:30 am on Friday, November 29, 2013 -- 7 lbs., 5 oz., 19.5" long. She's a tiny muffin with my face and DH's serious expression and nine days later, I still can't believe she's an outside baby.

The long version is still actually a pretty short version since I had the one scenario I had not prepped my mind or body for: an extremely short labor. Thanksgiving, as you may remember me saying, was a glorious two-person affair involving a smokehouse turkey breast and two kinds of pie and OMG THE SIDE DISHES.  I had a normal day, although I ate my weight in food.  Went to bed at 11 pm.  I woke up for my usual 6:00 am pee break and I lost my baby cork.  Being Bump Level: Expert at this point, I was like, "Whatever. I could be pregnant forever after.  Doesn't mean a thing."  

Got back into bed, but couldn't get comfortable.  Headed back to the bathroom for reasons my Colace-popping sisters understand, I'm sure.  While there, I experienced my first contraction, and then a second one not too long after that first one.  To this point, I had never had false labor, bleeding or any contractions, so I felt fairly certain this could be the start of the real thing.  Called out to Mr. Northport to find out his work schedule for the day.  Informed him I had my 39-week appointment at 2 pm, and had a feeling they might keep me, so he shouldn't plan to work a whole day.  

Fast forward to five minutes later, when I called to him to get out of bed.  By 6:45 we were timing my contractions and by 7:15, we were on the phone with the doctor.  While I spoke to him, I had a contraction I could not talk through.  When he asked me how close together my contractions were, we checked the app DH had been using to keep track and we realized my contractions had never been more than 5 minutes apart, and now they were more like three minutes apart.  I had been alternating between the bath tub and the yoga ball and the toilet, and it was there that my water broke on the next contraction after hanging up with the doctor.  It was so sudden and violent I actually yelled out "WHAT WAS THAT?" because come on, isn't this process supposed to take like two days for first time mothers?  Mr. Northport, who was fully my doula through this whole thing, was AMAZING, keeping me centered, letting me yell it out through each contraction, and, when they got unbearable right after my water broke, got me together, cleaned up, in my clothes and out the door.  During the contraction right before we headed out, I swore I had to push, but he got me past that, too. He grabbed the hospital bags, some food, the pillows off our bed and off we went.  ETA: I forgot the other amazing thing he did while I labored was completely organize to have my placenta picked up and encapsulated. 

The truth is that I was scared.  I didn't think it would all happen like that; it certainly wasn't what I had prepared for, and because of that, I was convinced something was going wrong.

We live 5 blocks from the hospital, but it was the longest 5 blocks of my life. Two more contractions later, I was in the birthing room and was faltering in my med-free conviction. The nurse said they had to check me first and when they did (the first cervical check of this pregnancy and I certainly didn't feel it) the baby's head was right there, and I was dilated to 10.  No drugs, but also: not much further to go. (I still asked the nurse, honestly, to punch me in the face; she politely declined).  Essentially, I had made it.  All I had to do now was not push on the next contraction.  TIME TO PRACTICE YOGA. They gave me a little oxygen which helped me focus on not pushing (the doctor was not yet there). He walked in and said, "Didn't we JUST speak on the phone?"  I replied "THINGS PROGRESSED. SCRUB UP, THIS KID'S COMING."

Three pushes later, she was out.  It was 8:30, Two and a half hours after I first woke up to pee.  I had fewer than two dozen contractions.  Three stitches because of the speed, plus a hemmorhoid for good measure.

Fun facts:
1. When they said it was a girl, I replied "WOO HOO!"
2. Mr. Northport did skin-to-skin for awhile while they stitched me up because I was shaky from adrenaline. 
3. I apologized to everyone in the room during each contraction for shouting. The nurses kinda loved me.
4. While shouting through a contraction at home (John Lennon-Yoko Ono-Primal scream therapy-style) Mr. Northport used some calm Birth Partner-style reasoning with me about breathing instead of screaming and I shouted back BUT IT FEELS SO MUCH BETTER WHEN I SCREAM.  He was cool about it.
5. The doctor who delivered our daughter was the doctor I complained about in my very first post here on the board.  Guess what.  He's sort of my hero now.  Although the on-call dolphin was pretty helpful, too.
6. Right before I pushed, I declared, somewhat deliriously, to DH that it was the best day of my life, second only to the day I married him.

Here's my kid.  I sorta love the poop outta her. 

A few hours old:

image

Seven days old:

image

Good luck, peaceful vibes and lots of love to you, December moms.

--NPort
image
Lilypie - (V9Ze)
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